What would it take to convince consumers that your business delivers a great customer experience? For Microsoft, the answer appears to be $1.5 billion.

Forbes recently reported that the software maker would spend an estimated $1.5-$1.8 billion on the marketing campaign for Windows 8, presumably to convince us all that Microsoft’s new operating system is indeed the best thing since… umm, Windows 7.

And so how’s that working for them? According to ComputerWorld, not so good. Windows 8 sales have been underwhelming, garnering far less market share than Windows 7 at the same point in its release cycle.

Granted, the Windows 8 user interface is a significant departure from prior versions, so one could argue that adoption will slower. But let’s not kid ourselves, Windows 8 is no beacon of customer experience excellence.

The word many software reviewers seem to use when describing the program is “confusion.” Software design guru Jakob Nielsen went a step further, declaring that Windows 8 “smothers usability.” Probably not the kind of press coverage Microsoft was hoping for…

But this isn’t a story about the usability of a new software program. It’s just a sobering reminder that great, loyalty-enhancing customer experiences – the kind that get people talking and buying – can’t be created with Super Bowl ads, stadium naming rights, public relations blitzes, or any type of marketing campaign.

No matter what you’re selling, be it a piece of software or an intangible service, consumers will ultimately judge your customer experience based not on what you say, but on what you do.

The real battle for consumers’ hearts and minds isn’t waged on billboards and airwaves. Marketing campaigns may provide air cover, but it’s the hand-to-hand combat of each customer interaction where true loyalty is forged – the usability of your software, the clarity of your communication, the helpfulness of your staff, the ease of doing business, etc.

So before you hang your hat on an expensive marketing campaign to convince consumers how wonderful your product or service is, ask yourself… why do they need convincing at all?

Interesting angle Jon. Shows which part of the company gets funded and has executive attention. With only 31% of social media complaints receiving a response today, wouldn’t that be a better starting place? (With higher ROI?) http://bit.ly/LdydDq

I agree there’s a lot of opportunity for companies to better balance their investments in making brand promises versus fulfilling them. Unfortunately, the vehicles for achieving the former are typically more glamorous (advertising campaigns, etc.) — and so they get a disproportionate amount of attention (and spend) from executives.

When will they learn? History is littered with companies trying to advertise their way to better customer service. DHL ran commercials about their amazing service a few years ago right up until the point where they pulled out of the US market due to their poor customer service.